


Care

by MelyndaR



Series: Care For You Trilogy [2]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 04:45:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3106529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelyndaR/pseuds/MelyndaR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place right after Amplification. While Reid is in the hospital, Elle shows up with a wedding band on her finger and a daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Washington, D.C.

May 2009

The sunshine mocked her as she eased her way out of the van and unbuckled her two year old daughter, putting her on her feet in the hospital parking lot. The little girl darted over to a patch of weeds and began to pluck up dandelions.

"Come on, Brooklyn." The pregnant mother took her daughter's hand and helped her to her feet.

"For Daddy." The child explained the three flowers, following her mother towards the hospital. When she noticed her mother's upset features, she asked in her little girl voice, "Why you sad?"

The mother looked down at her young daughter, putting a smile on for her sake. "I'm okay."

"Okay. Daddy here?"

"Yep. We're here to see Daddy."

Brooklyn looked up – and up and up - at the hospital before asking her mother, "Daddy okay?"

The woman sighed heavily. "I hope so. Now come on, hurry up."

Mother and daughter stopped at the information to get the room number of their respective husband and father. Then the woman scooped up her flame-haired daughter and started off in the proper direction, trying desperately to ignore all the thoughts plaguing her. She wasn't here for the others, just for him. They would be there with him for sure and she would have to face them. After all, she wasn't supposed to be anywhere near here, and Brooklyn… A dry laugh escaped her as she imagined what they would have to say about Brooklyn. But she didn't have to let herself care what they thought. All she cared about was getting to him.

Brooklyn leaned forward to press the elevator button, and then relaxed back into her mother's arms. As the elevator doors closed behind them, Brooklyn began to twist her mother's gold wedding ring around on her mother's hand.

"Pretty." Brooklyn complimented on the ring.

"It is, isn't it?" The ring had faded a little; its shine wasn't so bright after two and a half years of constant wear, but that was nothing a good cleaning wouldn't fix.

The elevator doors "ding"ed open and she exited, holding her daughter tightly to her. She turned to the right, and there they were, all but Morgan. She could see them through the glass wall of the waiting room.

There were a couple of people she'd never actually met sitting with them: her replacement and Gideon's. Before she could process the thought, her eye was caught by someone coming down the hallway. She caught sight of Morgan at the same time he saw her.

She saw the shock in his eyes as her being there registered. "Greenaway?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Mommy, who Green Away?" Brooklyn asked curiously while the dandelions started to droop in her hand.

Elle took a deep breath as a headache exploded behind her eyes. "It's complicated."

She had meant the comment for her daughter, but Morgan responded anyway. "Yeah, I bet it is. Reid's sick. The team's all in the waiting room. Do you want to come say hi? I'm sure they'd like to see you and, uh-" He motioned towards the little girl in her arms.

"Brooklyn."

"And Brooklyn. Come on."

Elle hesitated, biting her lip. She had to go in there, but the commotion she was going to start… ugh.

"I take it you're not Greenaway anymore." Morgan stated.

Elle shook her head, giving up and following Morgan in the direction of the waiting room.

"So who's the lucky guy? Hey," Morgan seemed to consider for the first time where they were. "Is he okay?" He smirked. "It is a guy right?"

Elle smirked back and slapped him without a second thought. "Yes!"

"Well, then what's his name?" Morgan folded himself into one of the hospital chairs in the waiting room.

Elle vaguely registered gasps from the other agents as she appeared behind him. Garcia squealed. What were they going to do if she answered that question?

She whispered, "Reid."

Hotch who was nearest her, lost all of his usual restraint as his eyes widened and his mouth actually dropped open. The sight was so unexpected that Elle actually laughed.

He recovered himself quickly though and asked Morgan the question Elle had been a little afraid to voice. "How's Reid?"

Morgan chuckled. "Last I saw, he was devouring jell-o as if it was the last thing he expected to do."

Hotch's eyes hardened on Elle's former partner, and Elle could feel a rebuke coming in his direction. "It's fine." She hastened to assure Hotch.

"So, what are you doing here?" JJ asked.

Elle realized Hotch had been the only one who had heard her confession. She sighed.

"Let me rephrase that." JJ offered. "Is it a coincidence that you're here or not?"

Elle shook her head negatively. Garcia began squeaking and pointing to Elle's left hand.

JJ grinned and squealed, "I knew it!"

"You married Reid," Morgan finally figured it out. "Our Reid? My Pretty Boy? Wait a second…" Morgan's eyes swung to Brooklyn, and shock washed over him.

The other followed suit. One by one, the room went utterly silent as the agents took in what Brooklyn's presence meant. Brooklyn buried her head in Elle's shoulder.

"I want Daddy," came the muffled request.

 _Me too,_ Elle thought.

"Oh!" Hotch snapped out of it. "Sure. Of course. Go on. We'll be here for a while yet. Do you want her to stay here for a few minutes?" he motioned towards Brooklyn.

The way her daughter's hands curled around fistfuls of her shirt told Elle that wasn't even a possibility. "Nah. Thanks anyway."

Elle walked down the too-clean hallway, stopping in the doorway of Spencer's room, with Brooklyn still in her arms. "Hey there, handsome."


	3. Chapter 3

"Daddy!" Brooklyn screamed, wriggling to be let down.

Elle complied, asking, "How are you doing?"

"Great now." Spencer answered with a smile as Brooklyn threw her arms around one of his arms.

Elle walked over and helped Brooklyn up onto the bed. Spencer moved his legs and she sat carefully down on the bed. Then she leaned forward to accept a kiss from her husband.

"Would you look at that!" Morgan whistled from the doorway.

Elle and Spencer broke apart and both looked towards him – or more accurately them. The entire team was there. Garcia looked to be taking a video with her phone.

"Uh, um…" Spencer stuttered. He looked at Elle with wide eyes, and she could practically hear his questions:  _What do I say now? How much do they know?_

"They figured it out." She said, putting her husband at ease.

Elle was just glad that she wasn't far enough along for the team to see that she was pregnant. That would cause quite a few more rounds of screaming. Then she saw the quizzical way Hotch kept glancing at her midsection.

A curse almost escaped her lips, but she said instead, "Zip it, Hotchner."

That raised eyebrows all across the room as the team migrated past the doorjamb.

Hotch's own eyes went up. "I didn't say a word."

"I apologize for her." Spencer put in. "She's not responsible for what come out of her mouth right now."

"Or the next six or so months, right?" Hotch asked.

Spencer grinned as Elle squawked, "I said zip it!"

Hotch smirked. "Why should I listen to you? You're a civilian."

"No she's not, not exactly." JJ piped up. "She's a training officer in the police academy. Will told me so. However, he failed to mention that you were married – to SPENCE!"

Elle and Spencer both burst out laughing. It was funny that they had been able to dupe the other profilers so thoroughly.

When the laughter had subsided, Spencer moved to one side of the bed, leaving a little room on the opposite side. Brooklyn scrambled closer to lie in her daddy's arms. All these new people made her nervous. The others began talking amongst themselves and for a long while no one noticed the father and daughter in the bed. Eventually, Elle glanced down at them and smiled. They were both asleep and Spencer had gathered Brooklyn close to his chest. It looked picture book perfect.

"Quite a family we have here, huh?" Morgan came up behind her and asked.

Elle smiled and nodded. "I've really missed this, and you guys."

"Yeah?" Garcia asked, having overheard. "Well, just so you know, we're not going to let you go again."

"Who says I intended to leave again?" Elle asked.


End file.
